Mirror Images?
by Amethyst Anenara
Summary: In a world that is exactly opposite from ours, in the realm known as Utsuri Realm, Queen Serenity banished her for a supposed betrayal...so who is she?
1. Default Chapter

Sailor Moon   
  
  
  
~  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, save Anenara, are owned by someone other than   
  
me....*sniffle*...ah, the sadness.   
  
Oh, and a little FYI: in this story, the other scouts, like the extra scouts and stuff, don't exist. Keep that in mind.  
  
~  
  
Prologue....  
  
  
  
  
  
The shadow lay cloaked against the moon, looking down at the city. Her dark indigo cloak trailed in the wind, making her less visible. She watched the girls inside the temple as they talked and laughed, and within the blink of an eye she was gone.   
  
  
  
~  
  
"So, Serena, how are things going with Darien?" Lita teased Serena shamelessly. Rini mumbled into Diana's fur that 'nothing was going.'   
  
"Fine. He hasn't been feeling well lately, that's probably why he blew me off yesterday at the mall."   
  
"Wait. Let me get this straight, you remembered, and he forgot?" Rei said. "You two aren't switching personas or anything, are you?" The others giggled, and Serena shrugged.   
  
"I dunno. I'll let you know." Something caught Rini's eye from outside on the building across the street, and she jumped.   
  
"What was that?" she shreaked. Rei looked where her small finger pointed, but saw nothing.   
  
"Just your imagination, Rini. There's nothing there." Rini looked again, and sighed.   
  
"Jeesh, kid. Make us worry for something real next time, huh?" Serena said jokingly. Rini smirked.   
  
"Like getting meatballs in your hair?"   
  
"Why you little-" Serena stood to choke the small child annoyedly, but before she could catch her Rini knocked her slice of pizza into Serena's face.   
  
"All right you two!" Luna said sharply. Rini looked at her while Serena peeled pepperonis off her cheek.   
  
"But she started it!" They said at the same time. Luna and Artemis looked at each other and sighed.   
  
"You two are a hopeless case." Artemis said. "Okay, we do have something to announce. There's been reports of a cloaked figure around, they say that the person's never hurt anyone before, but he, or she, has been hanging around on top of sky scrapers and seen with vicious monsters. What do you think about it, girls?"   
  
"I think it's a couple of kids in getups trying to get attention," Lita said. Mina nodded in agreement.   
  
"But that doesn't explain the fact that the person's been seen jumping up those sky scrapers," Luna sat down. "The last witness claims that she saw the child climb up the Bell Tower in a single leap."   
  
"Child? How do they know it's a child?"   
  
"They don't. The witness called it a child because she's eighty-four."   
  
"Don't you think that explains a lot about why she's seeing things?" Amy asked. "I don't think we have anything to worry about."   
  
"I don't either," Rei said. Serena nodded, too annoyed to speak.   
  
"Do they know what color the cloak was?" Diana piped up.   
  
"They think it's a bluish purple, almost-"   
  
"Indigo." Diana finished. "Do you think that she could be...?" Rini shook her head sharply, a gesture meaning not to mention it.   
  
"Do you two know something about this?"   
  
"Well," Rini started, "It's just that some of the warriors from our time wore indigo. One of them was called the Phantom Star, because Mama never knew her, neither did any of the others."   
  
"Phantom Star? Do you think that this...phantom could have come back after you?" Rei asked.   
  
"She may have. But there was never any real information that linked her to the crimes that the other warriors committed. She was actually accused of saving a couple of people. That's why Mama and Daddy let her go, because they had no evidence that she was bad." Artemis looked at Luna, who was deep in thought.   
  
"Does that ring a bell to you, too?" Luna nodded. "I think that the phantom was one of your mother's biggest troubles, Serena. I just can't remember." That's how the rest of the meeting went, with Luna and Artemis trying to remember the Phantom Star, while Rini gushed about the way she always got away. It was nearly midnight when Serena finally took Rini, Diana, and Luna and left.   
  
"Bye, Lita!" she called over her shoulder as she and Lita split up. It was a short walk to her house from there, but Rini had fallen asleep riding on her back, and Diana was walking alongside her mother when Serena saw something flash by out of the corner of her eye. Luna looked at it, too, but they both only saw a dog that was growling on a chain behind the fence. "Did you see something, Luna?"   
  
"Yes. It doesn't matter, we're both a bit paranoid after all that." Even so, Serena hurried home. It was bad enough that she was scared, but she had Rini with her and she didn't need to risk getting her into trouble. Once home, Serena explained to her mother that there had been reports of a stranger in the area, so she'd waited to go home until Lita was ready. Her mother thought that her actions were very responsible, and smiled confusedly. Serena quietly tucked Rini in, and went into her own room. Her small cell phone, the one that Darien had gotten her for their anniversary, rang. She smiled and picked it up.   
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Hi, Serena. Sorry I didn't call sooner." Darien sounded sincerely ill.   
  
"That's okay. Are you feeling better?"   
  
"Sort of. How'd your meeting go?"   
  
"Fine, thank you. They were all surprised that I didn't flake out. Wierd, huh?"   
  
"Yeah, I guess. I guess I'd better let you go. Good night."   
  
"'Night!" She hung up the phone before he could say anything else, and snuggled down into the pillow. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. 


	2. Chapter One Meeting Anne

Chapter One-Meeting Anne  
  
*Ooh, thank you for the review, SailorMuse! I was so bored in Computer Aps. that I did get this chapter done, so I hope you all enjoy^^*  
  
The dark lord sat upon his throne with ease. His castle, a huge mirror world to the normal human one, sat facing a gate to the real world, and he watched the events pass with a melancholy face. "All right, Phantom...Now I know who you're protecting...I just don't know why..." he said to the darkness. "Jolmen! Go to our alternate universe and kill that blasted Phantom Star...or whatever she calls herself now." A black haired, gray eyed teenage boy nodded, and dissapeared like a shadow appearing in light. "Don't dissapoint me..."   
  
  
  
~  
  
  
  
Serena looked around and yawned. High school was still boring, no matter what anyone said. Her grades were starting to get better as she grew more serious, but she still sometimes barely passed, especially in Algebra. Today, though, the teacher surprised everyone by smiling at a new student, who looked half their ages.   
  
"Class, I'd like to introduce you to Anne, who just transferred from the fifth grade. She'll be joining several of your other classes as well, so I'll tell you now that you'd better show her some respect; I think she'd tie with Amy on any test." Anne blushed furiously as several students awed and oohed, and Serena realized that her mouth was hanging open, and snapped it shut. "Anne, just take a seat beside the blonde girl with the two balls on her head." Mr. Kojima pointed at the seat beside Serena, who was glaring at him because of his comment on her hair.   
  
'When I'm queen...' she thought threateningly. Anne slowly made her way up beside Serena, and smiled at her as she sat down.   
  
"Hi," she sounded smaller than she looked. Serena glanced at her.   
  
"Hey, relax..." she advised, "They won't bother you if you ignore them. Be cool."   
  
"Thanks," Anne said. She took out her notebook and was silent for the rest of the class. Serena talked to her, and sometimes when she wasn't making calculations, she'd help Serena figure something out. Soon Serena knew things that she couldn't learn for years with Mr. Kojima. "If you need help with your homework and stuff, I could tutor you," Anne offered.   
  
"Hey, that'd be great!" Serena told her as the bell rang. "What's your next class, kiddo?" She was starting to like Anne better than she liked Rini, her own daughter-to-be.   
  
"Um...Phys Ed." Anne looked at her schedule closely, "Then English, then Home Ec., and finally the big Science!"   
  
"Cool, you have Science with me and Amy. You'll meet Mina in Phys Ed, and Lita in Home Ec. My other friend Rei doesn't go to this school, but I'll introduce you to her sometime. Do you know you're way to P.E.?" Serena was instantly concerned.   
  
"Uh huh. See ya, Serena!" Anne waved as ran off. Serena looked after her for a moment, then shrugged.   
  
"I can tell I'm gonna like that girl!" she chuckled.   
  
  
  
"Okay, girls, this is Anne South, so I hope you get along with her!" The coach screamed. Mina yawned quietly, then observed the new girl as Coach had her demonstrate some of her ballet. She was really graceful, and did three leaps then a pirouette with ease.   
  
"Hey, that girl is the brainiac, some sort of child prodigy, right?" someone whispered in front of them.   
  
"Yeah, more like child loser! Look at the way she does ballet and sucks up to Coach!"   
  
"Hey, cool it, you two, " Mina warned them, "She's from the fifth grade, what's that make you look like?"   
  
"Geesh, Captain Stuck-Up to the rescue..." the girls muttered to one another. Mina didn't mind them talking about her anymore, she'd had enough experience to deal with it, but this girl, Anne, seemed like a nice enough kid who was way in over her head. After class, Mina found Anne sitting on the stairwell. Something seemed to be bothering her wrist, she was scratching at it like she was mad at someone.   
  
"Hi," Mina said cheerfully, sitting beside of Anne. She hid her wrist immediately. "Whatcha doin'?"   
  
"Oh, I'm enjoying being the smart kid who everyone wants to beat up, you?" Anne sounded so positive about it that you could barely tell it bothered her.   
  
"Captain Stuck-Up, at your service." Mina saluted her, which caused her to giggle. "You know, if these kids bother you, that only means they're jealous." Anne looked grave, and nodded.   
  
"I don't know why they would be jealous of me, my life sucks."   
  
"It's good that you're so..."   
  
"Frank?"   
  
"Yeah, frank," Mina said. "Sometimes honesty's better than anything."   
  
"Now you're going to ask me about my wrist, right?" This girl was smart.   
  
"Mm hm...that is, if you don't mind." Anne showed Mina her wrist, which was bumpy and sore. "What happened?"   
  
"Some kids thought it was funny to throw chalk dust at me, and I'm allergic to it."   
  
"Oh...have you gone to the nurse?" Anne nodded, pointing at an ice pack lying a few feet away, obviously flung annoyedly. "Yeah, she does that sometimes. If she didn't smell like coffee, then you'll be okay."   
  
"Coffee?"   
  
"She's addicted to caffeine." Both girls laughed for a few moments, then the bell rang for them to leave. "I guess I'll see you, then?"   
  
"I guess; Serena said she knows you, if you're Mina." Mina nodded, smiling, "Then I will see you, cause I'm tutoring her now."   
  
"Good luck there. See you later." Anne smiled and dissapeared through the crowds.   
  
  
  
Lita loved cooking, but not with Joey Reese, the ugliest boy in school. So she was relieved when Anne was introduced into the class, and put with her, as she was the most responsible chef in the entire school. Anne gulped, cooking main courses wasn't her thing, obviously.   
  
"Hey, don't worry, what do you like to cook?" Anne grinned.   
  
"I can make a really good homeade strawberry ice cream, and chocolate cake, and desserts like that."   
  
"I take it you're responsible for your family's desserts a lot, huh?" Anne nodded. "Okay, whip something up for dessert, and I'll take care of the chicken. Do you want to make the salad?"   
  
"Sure!"   
  
"Okay, then that's what we'll do." Their's was the best meal in the class, and Ms. Ling applauded them. Lita whispered afterward, "So have you met Serena, Mina, or Amy yet?"   
  
"Serena and Mina; I'm going to be in Science with Amy, according to Serena."   
  
"Cool; you can hang out with us after school and meet Rei." Anne nodded.   
  
"'Kay."   
  
  
  
"Amy, this is Anne. Anne; Amy." Serena said during Science. Amy smiled at Anne; she was looking very bashful at meeting the smartest girl in school.   
  
"Why, hello, Anne. I've heard a lot about you. Fifth grade, huh?" Anne nodded. "That's quite impressive, but just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to let you off studying with me that easily, got it?" Another nod, this one accompanied with a smile. "Good. Come on, let's learn this chemistry so that we can move onto Physics." They all got along well, and it seemed that Anne wasn't doing as well as Amy, until she answered a question that Amy didn't know about. Amy was proud of her, but not angry. Serena sighed in relief, everything would work out okay.   
  
  
  
That afternoon Anne met Serena and the others in front of the school, and Serena cried out, "Hey, Anne! How was your first day?"   
  
"Well, let's see...I made four friends so far today, and the rest of the people in my classes hate me. Things went fine," Anne said happily.   
  
"You don't mind everyone hating you?" Lita asked.   
  
"News flash, being the smartest fifth grader in Japan gets you a lot of enemies. It's very...important to like everyone, although they don't like you." Anne went on telling them about her friends in fifth grade, one a graduate from the local college and the other, her guardian, Ms. Tomeya. "Ms. Tomeya's name is really Madison, but I call her Ms. Tomeya as a joke, because Tomoyo's Japanese for Madison, and I couldn't pronounce it at first."   
  
"So you pronounced it Tomeya." Amy said, giggling. "I can see how you mixed it up."   
  
"Yeah, I'm better in Spanish than Japanese."   
  
"So, Anne," Serena hesitated, then asked, "What happened to your parents?" The other three glared at her.   
  
"Oh, it's all right." Anne told them, calming the glaring, "They died in a car crash when I was a baby. I can't remember either of them, and all my doctors said that it wasn't unlikely that I had an older sibling that died in the crash, but we got seperated, because I was found far away from my family. They drove over a cliff and into the ocean, I'd fallen out of the backseat while I was in my car seat, and somehow floated to shore. The family that found me said that I was clinging to a toy puppy, but that's all they knew of my family, and if I did have any brothers or sisters, since I was a baby, they wouldn't be able to find them before they had to send me to a foster family. Soon, my foster family sent me to an orphanage, and I was adopted by Ms. Tomeya. They never did find my brothers or sisters, so I guess I didn't have any."   
  
'That's weird,' Serena thought. Darien had, too, been in a car accident that he'd lost his family, and his memory, in, so he couldn't tell anyone of any siblings he might have had. Lita then said, "Oh, there's Rei."   
  
Rei walked toward them grumpily, then sensed a strong aura nearby, and looked up. The girl that was with them...who was she? Her aura was so pure and innocent, it was almost....like actual virtue in human form. She walked the rest of the way to them hushedly, and said, "Hi, guys."   
  
"Hey, Rei. Looks like you had a nice day," Serena said sarcastically. Rei smirked at her.   
  
"Who's this?" she asked pleasantly.   
  
"Hi, I'm Anne," Anne held her hand out to shake hands with Rei, and Rei hesitantly took it. She had a flash cross her mind, a flash of pain and goodness and shadow all rolled into one, and instantly knew that this girl was a force to be reckoned with. She smiled to cover her strange behavior, and gently dropped her hand back to her side.   
  
"And I'm Rei. It's nice to meet you," she added before glancing at the others, obviously saying, 'We have to talk.' They smiled understandably, and the rest of the way home, all hovered around Anne, still curious and wondering about her. Once she waved goodbye to go into her guardian's mansion, which was an enormous Victorian styled home, Rei turned to them, "Where did you meet her?!"   
  
"In school. She got transferred because she's...well, she's almost like a reincarnation of Amy's brain." Lita said truthfully.   
  
"Yes, she's purely gifted," Amy agreed.   
  
"Yeah, well, she's a bit....pure, if you catch my drift," Rei hissed.   
  
"You mean, you don't trust her?" Mina looked baffled.   
  
"Of course I trust her! I just think she's a good attractant for the end of the Sailor Scouts' quiet life. She'll attract a lot of evil with the amount of goodness within her."   
  
"Oh........Rei, maybe you should take a break from the entire sensing evil thing," Serena said. "It gives you a lot of funny ideas."   
  
"OH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fine, don't listen to me! When she does get attacked by something, it's your fault!" Rei stalked off, leaving the baffled group behind her.   
  
"Huh......?" They looked at each other, shrugged, and went on home.   
  
  
  
The very first tutoring session was going great. So far, Anne had been able to let Serena come to the mansion, which was, in Serena's words, "So completely totally COOL!!!"   
  
It was as huge on the inside as it looked on the outside, and since Serena liked it so much, Anne used the objects within to tutor her.   
  
"So three fourths of the amount of diamonds on the chandelier is...?"   
  
"Eight hundred. Wow, I knew the answer! This is great!" The day past quickly, and Serena thanked Anne repeatedly as she led her to the door.   
  
"It was nothing, Serena, you just needed a way to connect what you learn to what you know already. See ya later," Anne called as Serena waved, walking backward to the gates. For a long time Anne looked suspiciously after her, then turned and said, "Or sooner than you think..." 


	3. Chapter Two Meeting 'Grief'

It took me awhile, but now I'm back! And...yeah, the majorly bad thing is...I only have one friend...;.; So enjoy this, please!  
  
Chapter Two- Meeting 'Grief'  
  
"Scouts, there's been a disturbance in the eastern part of town, get there on the double!" Artemis said through the communicator. Serena had just tucked Rini in, and now tiptoed away from her room in order to sneak outside. There, she transformed into Sailor Moon, and hurried to meet the girls at the sky scraper block of the city. Once she got there, she met Sailor Mars, who looked like a big point had just been made.   
  
"Not a word, Mars," Mercury warned, looking through her Scouter to find the source of the disturbance.   
  
"What do you mean? Oh, the whole thing that such an innocent soul would attract evil? No, not a word..." Mars grumbled.   
  
"Okay, Scouts, let's not cause a second disturbance," Venus dissuaded the argument.   
  
"I've got a reading....it looks like any regular organic material...there was something here, but-"   
  
"You know, you ladies are a bit late," a rich voice said. All five girls and two cats jumped, they didn't recognise the voice, but it came from everywhere. "You won't find me by merely looking."   
  
"Who ARE you?" Mars demanded.   
  
The voice laughed, "Oh, this is too much!! You really don't know? Well, my princess Phantom Star seems to be losing her touch! She obviously hasn't found you yet!" The voice cackled on. With a swoosh, a shadowy figure started to shape itself in front of them, putting them into defensive mode. The figure turned into a man, a tall man with black eyes, wearing a gray and black kimono. In his hand was a sceptor, in the shape of the sun. "Oh, don't worry. I haven't come to harm you. I merely came to warn you." The girls glanced disbelievingly at each other. "Now, really! I'm hurt! You really don't trust me? How shameful on your part! I am hunting down the Phantom Star for you, and you're not believing me! How cynical." The man sighed. "Of course, she may be watching us now..." He looked carefully around, but saw nothing. "Maybe not. I'm just warning you lovely ladies now, don't get in my way, or else I'll be forced to destroy you. You may want to run along now, like good little dears, because I have some business to take care of."   
  
"What makes you think we're leaving that easily?" Sailor Moon asked.   
  
"Actually, it may be in your best interest," the man replied. "She draws ever near." He doubled over in laughter then. "I'm sorry...it's just....I don't remember....seeing the Queen....look so stupid!"   
  
"Hey....not funny," Sailor Moon said.   
  
"No, it wasn't," a new voice replied.   
  
"Heh?" All the Scouts looked around, but saw nothing. The man in purple didn't seem to be laughing anymore. In fact, his face was quite pale, and he stared around as the voice continued.   
  
"Hello, Jolmen. I'm afraid I can't say I missed you, because I was just getting used to the air without its foul smell of death," the voice continued.   
  
"Show yourself, Phantom! Dammit, I can't see her," he mumbled.   
  
"I'm right here, Jolmen," the voice said softly, quite closer than before. Jolmen turned on his heel quickly, and stood face-to-face with a girl's figure, cloaked in an indigo colored cloak with its hood up. "Pleasure to see you, as well." Jolmen trembled under her intenese indigo glare. Her eyes glowed under the shadow of   
  
her hood, and he winced.   
  
"P-princess Anenara.....I didn't mean it, I'm.....s-s-sorry," he whined. The Scouts looked at each other dumbly.   
  
"What the hell's goin' on?" Jupiter asked Mercury behind her hand.   
  
"Apparently, this guy knows her...well," she shot back. "What did he say her name was?" Jupiter shrugged. Jolmen, his gray-gold hair hanging in his eyes, stumbled back a step from the Phantom.   
  
"I cannot forgive what I cannot forget," the Phantom replied. With a slight wave of her hand, she sent Jolmen flying into the wall of the building behind him. The cement cracked and crumbled as he fell, leaving his imprint.   
  
"Ouch!" Venus winced.   
  
"Girls, her power level just went sky-rocketing.....I think we're in trouble," Mercury whispered. Jolmen stood, to get a sceptar thrown against his throat, choking him. He gagged as the Phantom leaned her weight against the sceptar, growling under her breath.   
  
"And you can tell your King that I will not return to his damned Utsuri Realm, no matter how many times he begs me to come back. Remember, Jolmen, your Princess is only the Guardian of her Queen." The Phantom turned the sceptar, a black and dark blue diamond-studded staff with a symbol that looked like a cross surrounded by a circle on its end. It glowed brightly as she said, "Teleport!!!" and Jolmen dissapeared in a blinking light. The Phantom took a moment to dust herself off before she turned to the scouts, her cloak opened a slice to reveal her indigo and blue-   
  
"Sailor Scout uniform?!" Sailor Moon demanded. "Why the hell does she have that?!"   
  
"Allow me to introduce myself," the girl said, ignoring Sailor Moon's outburst. "I'm Phantom Star, otherwise known as the Phantom Scout." All of their jaws dropped, and Sailor Moon turned to Luna and Artemis.   
  
"PHANTOM Scout???"   
  
"We have no more clue than you," Luna supplied.   
  
"Well," Phantom interrupted. "I can see that manners have not made their calling yet, so I have no need to further explain my appearance here-"   
  
"Wait, wait! We'd like to know, we're sorry, it won't happen again," Mercury said, stopping the girl's retreat. She looked at them again.   
  
"All right," she said, sitting down on a rock from the rubble she'd just created. "Let's see.....what would you like me to explain?"   
  
"Uh....where'd you come from?" Mercury asked. The girl must have rolled her eyes.   
  
"The Utsuri Realm. The only way for us to get here was by time travel. In my time, or, your daughter's time, rather," she said, nodding at Sailor Moon, "There was an army called the Nega Stars. Long story short, they were like the Negamoons, but they had a long life of revenge to repay the Queen. So she put together her own army. I was a neutral, because I had no identity at the time. So, I tricked them all; I acted neutral.   
  
"I helped people, but I dodged all the Queen's efforts to recall me, and I also helped her enemy at times. Nothing huge, just the small details, like the location of the Guardian Scouts' base. That wasn't a big deal at all, because I ended up saving all of them, anyway. So, when I was banished from the Queen's realm, I wasn't exactly surprised. I mean, I had almost wanted it. So I went to the Utsuri Realm. It was even more horrible than I first thought, its black towers and buildings sky-high, and filled with captives of war.   
  
"Well, it just so happens that I met Echola and Ryjen, two unlikely suspects of the new War of the Ages. They were so strange, I don't know why I overlooked it..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked up at the sky, almost mournfully. Then she saw the girls staring at her, "...and I got sent through a time warp back here." They all stared at her, and she looked confusedly at them. "What, it's not like I killed anyone. I just travelled a lot."   
  
"Yeah, but you betrayed the Queen for no real reason at all..."   
  
"I didn't betray her because I wanted to, if that's what you mean. Look at it this way, my trionamille got mixed up, and for awhile, I wasn't me."   
  
"Trion...amille?" Mercury repeated.   
  
"Uh, yeah, sorry, forgot that you don't understand. My reasons for being. It's Utsuri Realm language."   
  
"O..kay..." Jupiter said, "Now, pardon me, but, do you have a name?"   
  
"Yes, everything has a name."   
  
"What is your name?"   
  
"Grief," she said simply, shrugging. "Ask your brilliant friend about it. She'll tell you." Sailor Moon glanced at Luna; how did this 'Grief' know about Anne? And being as she did, did that mean she was following them around? Questions ran through their minds aimlessly as 'Grief' continued, "Well, ladies, if you'll excuse me..."  
  
"Um..." The Scouts looked at each other, then shrugged. Sailor Moon asked, "Will we see you again?"  
  
"Of course you'll see me again; I'll have to keep an eye on the future queen," Phantom Star said, standing and turning away. She looked over her shoulder for a final comment, "But, I may end up fighting you one day, so," she winked, "keep an eye out for me, all right?"  
  
"Wait just a minute!" Luna cried defiantly. "Who are you to challenge Princess Serenity?" Again, Phantom Star's eyes darkened with sadness. She looked at the ground, and a lock of hair fell from behind her ear, hanging loosely at the side of her face as she stood in a pensive stance.  
  
"I'm...I'm her failure," she mumbled, then turned and walked away, her cloak shimmering and dissapearing with her on the wind as she did.  
  
***  
  
Yes, kinda shorter than I would have liked...but anyway, let me know what you think. And if Phantom Star or Anne become somewhat Mary Sue-ish, I beg you to tell me. I would have to beat myself up if I let that happen. Also, feel free to suggest ANYthing at all. Or to challenge. I LOVE challenges. Thankee, byes!  
  
*dissapears in a flash ready to go pah-tey!* 


	4. Chapter Four Past Present Future

Chapter Four- The Past, the Present, the Future  
  
Serena collapsed on her bed, Luna sitting beside of her. Her chest was heaving as she just barely raised her head to glare at the window she'd just climbed into. Luckily, there was a tree just outside that window, and the lessons of tree climbing after Diane came in handy for sneaking into the house at such ungodly hours as this. Wait...what time was it? Glancing over at her clock told her that it was nearly three in the morning. With a groan, she turned over, bringing a pillow with her to cover her face. Somewhere beside of her, the cell phone rang, and, keeping the pillow on her face, she reached out blindly for it until her hand met it, then answered it from under the pillow.  
  
"If this is a prank call I swear to you..."  
  
"Serena, it's me!" Lita answered annoyedly. Serena sat up, pillow dropping to her lap.  
  
"Oh, hi, Lita. Sorry about that...you know, people usually get like that at THREE IN THE MORNING," Serena said sarcastically.  
  
"I get the point, Iwas just calling to shut Mina up. She's on the phone 3-way with Amy and Rei. They were all kinda worried about you."  
  
"Oh, well tell 'em I'm just peachy...at a loss of sleep, but peachy."  
  
After a pause, Lita laughed as she got back on the phone, "They say to go to sleep then. And good night. Oh, hey, Serena?"  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"What do you think of this...Grief person? I mean, she claims to be a Phantom Scout or something, but we don't really know too much about her OTHER than the fact that she's only betrayed your family umpteen times!"  
  
"Well, I sorta trust her. I mean, she seems so sad. It's almost like she regrets what she did to everyone, but since she can't take it back, she goes on living it," Serena admitted.  
  
"Whoa..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"That's deep, Serena. Better be careful...you may get responsible on us!"  
  
"Shut up. I'm goin' to bed, g'night," she mumbled, hanging up the phone without waiting for Lita's answer. She almost didn't bother changing, but then Luna sniffed her arm.  
  
"Pew, Serena, you smell like you just went through an obstacle course."  
  
"Ugh....okay, I'll go take a shower....stupid cat..." she mumbled, dragging herself into the shower. Surprisingly, the extremely cold water seemed to awaken her enough to think about the girl they'd just met. She'd said her name was Grief. Why would someone who seemed so sad be so rebellious? Was it just a way of covering up her sadness? Did she really have a completely different story than they were giving her credit for? She was strong; they had to give her that. But underneath the strength, Serena could sense a young girl...a young, lonesome girl who just wanted to go home, but couldn't find her way. So what was this 'Grief's' story? As she lay down a little bit later, Serena made it her duty to discover that.  
  
~~~  
  
She was sitting on the top of the tower, legs dangling over the edge, arms folded on the railing that, head touching the next bar of the railing. With a sigh, she looked down at the glittering city below her, thinking deeply about the girls she'd just met. It wasn't the first time she'd spoken to them...well, not them themselves, but the future them and the past them.  
  
In the past, she was known among them as the Princess of Earth. Her older brother, the Prince Darien, was suspected of treachery, so they never really got to see the court, but for the times that Darien snuck in to see the love of his life, Serena. She was always on the sidelines, sworn to her parents to be the watcher and keeper of her elder brother.  
  
So she watched; she watched him fall in love, watched him grow so attached to the princess that he personally asked her to protect Serena. With the Queen's permission, the young princess stayed just to fulfill her promise, but only on one condition. The Queen had requested her to make sure that, if ever Serenity were to die, she'd make sure Serena got out of it all right.  
  
She failed. Searching for the princess and her brother on the night Baryl attacked the kingdom, she got captured by the evil queen, and tossed aside like a rag doll. It had been with a heavy heart and a bruised body that she had dragged herself to the queen's side, asking for a second chance.  
  
"You'll...have the second chance, young one," the queen said, just before her loyal cats arrived. "None of them will remember you, you must stick to the shadows. Watch over my daughter, I beg of you..." Phantom felt herself dissapearing before Queen Serenity spoke to Luna and Artemis about sending them into the future. Indeed, when Phantom was reborn, she remembered the past, but the past didn't remember her.  
  
She grew up, and, still at a tender age of six, was introduced to two young gentlmen whom her guardian seemed to know. Echola and Ryjen were twin brothers, both supposedly from mid-Asia. What neither the girl nor the elderly lady knew was that these two had a completely deranged plan...that involved Phantom's abilities.  
  
After luring her with them on a so-called 'vacation,' she found herself in the future. With the future Sailor Scouts, and the Future Royal Family. The reincarnation of her brother, Darien, the reincarnation of the Princess Serena, and their child, Rini. Phantom was in the future for almost a year. In that time, she spent her days training under Echola and Ryjen, and watching her family. Rini was always chasing Little Diane around, Darien and Serenity were constantly spreading their joy throughout the kingdom. It was then that Phantom discovered Ryjen and Echola's true intentions.  
  
They were going to use her to steal the Millenium Crystal from Serenity. She couldn't exactly warn the queen about it without alarming the royal guard to the fact that she had recently earned a burnt tattoo into her throat, the symbol of earth crossed with a black moon.  
  
So Phantom did what she had to do; she injured the guards, but only enough to stun them. Then she faced the Sailor Scouts. Boy, what a mess. As she remembered trying to plead her case, Phantom Star slapped her palm to her forehead. She vaguely remembered the conversation.  
  
"Please- I'm not trying to actually hurt anyone-"  
  
"Who the hell are you and why do you so extremely want to see the queen?"  
  
"I told you, I have to warn her-"  
  
"Warn her of what?"  
  
"She's going to be attacked!"  
  
"Well, not her! You took care of the royal guard, you won't take care of us!"  
  
"You don't understand..."  
  
"Damn right we do!"  
  
"Ugh..."  
  
After embarrassing the Scouts miserabley, Phantom Star had finally reached the Queen; only to discover her lying in a state of a coma, Echola and Ryjen standing over her, two parts of the crystal in each of their hands. Once again, she had failed the princess.  
  
It wasn't long after that that they were caught, and all three of them were charged with treachery. Phantom Star didn't bother trying to explain; she deserved what she got. They were banned to the Utsuri Realm, where they spent a good few years rotting in redemption.  
  
Phantom Star became rebellious, growing up around the two men she now hated most was making her crazy and she had to get out. The only question was: how?  
  
After six long months of thinking, she figured it out. The Queen had her crystal, yes, but Phantom had something better...the Queen's mother. After praying to the dead queen of the Moon Kingdom, she finally got her answer.  
  
She could break through the lock on the portal that kept her in the Utsuri Realm by using the powers she gained as princess of Earth. Fire, earth, wind, and water; she'd acquired access to all four elements as part of her role.  
  
So she used them. And broke through, finding herself once again in Crystal Tokyo. Once there, she did show some of her anger, yes...but she also saved people. She did everything in her power to confuse the entire kingdom until, finally, she found a way home to her regular time. All she had to do was create a portal.  
  
It had been almost six years since she'd first gone to Crystal Tokyo, and her guardian at home hadn't really missed her. In fact, she didn't remember any of it. At all. She remembered the past six years as if Phantom had never left. As strange as that was, Phantom couldn't help loving the fact that she was home.  
  
Glancing at her watch, Phantom stood up and stretched her limbs a bit. "Time to get going..." she murmered as if to someone else there. "Miss Tomeya will be worried..." With that, she leapt off into the night...  
  
~~~  
  
Serena rang the doorbell, then looked at the others, who were all there with her. Rini was holding all three cats in her arms where she sat on Lita's shoulders. "Hm...wonder what's keeping her?"  
  
"You looking for me?" Anne asked from behind them. Every one jumped, and turned to the slightly surprised girl, who was just coming up the sidewalk, wearing an indigo skirt and cream turtleneck. Serena hadn't noticed before, but she wore a lot of turtlenecks...  
  
"Yeah, actually," Serena said with a smile. "We need to ask you a question."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"What would the name of someone who calls themself 'Grief' be?" Lita asked seriously. Anne looked up suddenly, eyes slightly frightenened.  
  
"Where did you hear that from?" she asked, shocking the others with her tense appearance.  
  
"A friend. Do you know what it means?"  
  
"Yes," Anne sighed, motioning for them to follow her inside to sit down in the living room. With a deeply thoughtful look, she said, "There's a legend that exists about a different realm...the Utsuri Realm. There, the language is based around all the reflections of this world, mostly of its emotions. The word 'grief' in this world, is also the name of that realm's mirror image of earth; Anenara. There's another thing about Anenara...the planet Anenara had a female guardian once...one thousand years ago. She was banished there after failing her queen, or at least, her soul was. Until she was reborn, anyway...the Utsuri Realm was created completely out of those emotions of guilt and sadness."  
  
"So...then she really is grief!" Mina exclaimed.  
  
"Might I ask whom?" Anne said, raising an eye brow.  
  
"It doesn't matter. Thanks for the info., Anne. I guess we ought to be glad that you love astronomy and history, huh?"  
  
"Yep, I'll see you all later," Anne said, seeing them outside. As soon as they were gone, Anne leaned against the door, and lowered the nape of the turtleneck, revealing a small burn mark...a circle with four smaller sections, and a dark crescent moon carved over it... "Damn you, Anenara...damn you straight to hell."  
  
'Been there...done that,' a voice inside her mind answered for her.  
  
"Crap..."  
  
~~~~  
  
Okay, so what'd you think? Hey, I'm satisfied. It's longer than it was...^_^ Tell me all! 


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